Fragile! Handle With Care!

May 3, 2011

The tiny porcelain angel was not much bigger than my hand.  It was beautifully crafted, with wings that were so thin they were practically translucent and a face that was almost radiant. I ran my fingers along her wings as my friend told me the story of this family heirloom; I could sense both how precious and how fragile this little angel was.  As our conversation moved on I turned to put the little angel back on the shelf, and as I turned I inadvertently bumped the angel against the shelf.  Much to my dismay this beautiful little angel broke into pieces!  I had been distracted as our conversation moved on and had not been as careful as I should have been.  I misjudged with tragic consequences.  I felt awful; the damage had been done and there was nothing that I could do about it.

Unfortunately, little porcelain angels are not the only things we break.  There are times when we inadvertently say something to a friend that shatters them.  Or, in a moment of distraction, we do something that forever changes our relationships.  How often we misjudge a situation with tragic consequences! 

The Psalmist sings to God: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth” (Ps 139:14-15).   Like the little angel, we are intricately woven – beautifully crafted – by God.  Like the little angel, we are fearfully and wonderfully made – with astonishing and unique features that God knows intimately.  The Psalmist understands that we are fragile; God knows that each one of His beloved children must be handled with care.

And yet we continue to hurt one another and ourselves – often inadvertently, occasionally intentionally.  We are broken by careless actions or thoughtless words.  We are shattered by forces that are seemingly beyond our control.  Like Humpty Dumpty, it seems like we cannot be put back together again.  But with God, all things are possible.

These same hands that broke my friend’s little angel are the hands that are held open as a broken piece of bread is placed in them with the words, “The body of Christ, broken for you.”  The body of Christ that we broke when we shouted, “Crucify Him!” is given to us as a gift.  Through Jesus Christ all things are possible.  By grace, Jesus is right there, broken, in our very hands, given to us that we might know the depth of God’s love for us and find healing and forgiveness.

I hear God whispering into my brokenness, “You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you... Do not fear, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:4-5).  I hear the truth of Jesus’ words: “Your sins are forgiven” (Matt 9:2).  As I leave the Lord’s Table, I find that I can go out into this broken world once again.  Certainly, I know I am fragile, I know I must handle my relationships with great care.  Yet, I hear God’s words: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).